######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”
and was not written by Leasing News nor information verified, but from the source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “by line.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.

Please send a colleague and ask them to subscribe. We are free.Email kitmenkin@leasingnews.org and in subject line: subscribe

"Thank you for working with us on our national sales position posting - it was successful - the responses were just as we desired - quality over quantity - two individuals, each with over 25 years of experience, have accepted positions with our company!"
Darren Gardner, CLFP
darrengardner@alliancecap.com
www.AllianceCap.com

Ads designed by Leasing News are based on a four line minimum of $595, and $40 a line thereafter (a space is a line). Repeat advertisers receive a discount. Logo or graphic on top is free, as well as website information. Email and/or clicking to other sites with full employment information is free. Ads run for 30 days.

A reader recently asked if the response he received after trying to contact me by email was from me. It was from "spamarrest,” a program I have been using for maybe ten years.

Leasing News email gets over a 1,000 spam a day. No exaggeration, sometimes it is more. I visit the program at least twice a day as those mostly caught are asking to be added to the Leasing News mailing list.

Spam is mostly automatically sent. Companies all over the world collected email addresses from Google and other browsers, mail companies, or even associations, who sell their membership mailing lists.

How "spamarrest" works: it basically requires you to respond you are not an automated program, and when you answer, you become a "safesender." It does not ask again, once you are added.

Another feature is it "blocks" emails that you choose to block. Many are sent by advertisers who respond and become a "safesender." Once I see that, I add into a folder and then twice a month, or sooner, block them.

In addition to the great program, the service is superb. Not only with their own system, but with my email program, they have helped me out quite a bit with live on-line help.

I recommend a 30 day free trial (and we are not getting a fee or free month for the recommendation). The last technician who helped me I told him I was going to let Leasing News readers know how happy we are with the program and their service.

Tom Genco was hired as Corporate Administrator, Madison Capital, Owings Mills, Maryland. "Prior to joining Madison Capital, Tim was with Laureate Education as Director of Accounting Operations and, before that, Active Minerals International as Director of FP&A and Assistant Treasurer. Tim also has experience as a Controller and Business Operations Director. His broad experience will help Madison expand its client base across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Tim is married and has a 17-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. He enjoys coaching his son’s 11U baseball team and watching his daughter play softball and volleyball for her high school. He has been a Baltimore Ravens PSL holder for over 20 years and is a loyal Orioles fan."

Last week at National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) Conference, Long Beach, California, there was an interesting question came up in my marketing session:

“What about developing a mobile app for our business?”

While I always thought the financial industry was behind in app development, this question definitely took me by surprise. Some of the websites I reviewed at NEFA were lacking major basics for search engine marketing success and they were already thinking ahead to app development!

With the craze over mobile use and app development in the banking industry, I can understand why more business in the alternative lending industry are starting to show interest in developing an app of their own.

Seeing as 80% of people never leave their house without their smartphone, according to Google, it’s a no brainer why more business would want to increase their mobile visibility so they can essential be wherever their users are. As of 2016, 53% of smart phone users have some financial mobile app download on their device in order to check balances, complete transactions, and explore financial tools. These statistics alone are enough to convince a financial business that they need to development a mobile app.

Before we get ahead of ourselves with developing mobile applications, it’s important to realize that you do not need an app to be ‘mobile’. Before even considering developing an app, you should make sure your website is mobile friendly, meaning your website is responsive to a user who is accessing it on their smartphone. Mobile friendliness is actually a factor Google takes into consideration when ranking your website organically. As I’ve mentioned in the past, Google is making a major shift towards a mobile first world, which makes being mobile is imperative to any business.

Getting back on track with app development, the main reason for the obsession over creating mobile apps these days is to be more accessible to your users. Mobile apps also allow businesses to provide a better customer experience which can include, offering other resources like calculators and external links to other helpful tools. While mobile banking is on the rise, that doesn’t necessarily apply directly to the equipment finance industry. Mobile apps are a necessity for the banking industry because they maintain thousands of accounts where both business users and consumers need to access their funds to pay bills and transfer money in an efficient manner.

For the alternative lending industry, mobile apps consistent mainly of offering basic ‘pre-qualification’ forms, rate & payment quote calculators, file sharing between a lessor and lessee, as well as create brand loyalty with already existing clients. While all of this can seem very exciting for an alternative financing company to implement, these are all items that are also possible on a mobile site. You do not necessarily need a mobile app to offer financial calculators, file sharing, and applications to your clients.

One item to keep in mind when considering adding a mobile app for your business is security. The biggest concern with building a mobile app in the financial industry is making sure the connection is secure, especially if you are requiring your user to share files or information that contains sensitive material.

If you are still considering building a mobile app for your business, there are a few costs to keep in mind aside from the initial development. These costs include monthly hosting fees, and app developer fee charged by Apple and Google to display your app for download within their app stores. When it comes to designing and building your application, you can generally find a company that can produce simple applications relatively cheap depending on the function you are looking for. All you really need on your mobile app is a URL to promote, basic information about your company, a simple contact form, and chat feature.

A future article will discuss hiring a firm to build you an app for the Apple store and Google.

Brittney Holcomb is the Director of Paid Search at The Finance Marketing Group. She works exclusively with finance companies and banks to help better develop their business online through digital marketing strategies. Brittney has been trained by some of the top leaders in the industry giving her a vast knowledge she is able to pass along to her client base.

The Leasing News Advisory Board does not participate in editorial decisions, meaning reviewing or choosing stories or subjects. Their role is to participate with policy and business advice as well as contribute in discussions on matters brought up by the publisher in a private internal blog.

Bob was appointed by Kit Menkin as chairman May 8, 2005, primarily to recognize him as our number one good will ambassador. Kit has known him for over forty-five years since the early 1970's when he was President of Dividend Leasing, Santa Clara, California, and Bob was the champion salesman, just out of Crocker Bank Leasing. Later roles were reversed when Kit sold him deals at various funding companies he represented. He also tutored him to pass the Certified Leasing Professional test, but could never get Kit to run the HP calculator correctly.

Bob joined the Leasing News Advisory Board July 7, 2000. He was actually involved in the "perception" of the newsletter before this date, making many contributions before we went “online” as a website that also distributed a news edition.

He is the one readers call with the most complaints, or wanting the editor to print a press release or explain what was written. Perhaps he started to get the calls as at one time he wrote about all the leasing conferences for Leasing News, wrote many articles, "pal'd around" with Kit at conferences, where many learned he was a very close friend.

Bob Teichman, CLFP, was born in New York City. After attending the High School of Music & Art and the New York College of Music, he received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College.

“I studied music for a lot of years. I even played piano professionally while in college“, he added. “I have kept up my interest in music by singing in a local chorus for the past 32 years. There are about 100 of us and we give concerts several times a year, mostly pre-20th century composers like Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. But we do get away from the 18th and 19th centuries. At a recent concert we performed 15th and 20th century music.” He pursued his graduate studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

"In 1956, when I was a graduate student in Geneva, I met my wife Patricia," he wrote. "She was working at the UN and she and I were members of a group of expatriates- Americans, British, Russians, Swedes, mid-Easterners- who all hung around the same cafes.

"It was the late 1950's and Switzerland was affordable for students like me. The ski slopes were close and most of the rest of Europe was less than a day’s drive away.

"But sooner or later reality sets in. More than fifty years ago we married in New York and came to California; driving cross-country in a 1957 Bristol sedan my father had picked up on one of his many trips. The car had right-hand drive, so it was a real challenge maneuvering on the two-lane roads (yeah, they were paved; it was the middle of the 20th, not the 19th, century.) Still, it was an adventure when we had car trouble on a couple of occasions.

"Patty is an avid gardener and an excellent watercolorist. The two interests coincide in her botanical paintings.

Bob on a walk outside his cabin in the backcountry

"We spend our vacations at a small and very primitive cabin in the California Sierra backcountry. Summers only; the roads aren't plowed in the winter. Nice country in summer, though. Pines, firs, granite outcrops, streams, meadows. Also coyotes, bears and deer. We don't bother them, they don't bother us. A bear did chew on my neighbor's cabin. Probably liked the taste of the wood stain.

"Thanks for your friendship over all these years. After having been in the leasing business for over 50 years, I really appreciate all the wonderful people I have met, and the lasting friendships I have formed. I still enjoy the business immensely. There is always something new around the corner."

Bob started in automotive leasing in 1963 in sales, then moved into equipment leasing in the late 1960's. For over 20 years he provided funding for leasing companies as an officer of both bank and non-bank lenders.

Along the way, he started several successful leasing companies. His company, Teichman Financial Training, located in Sausalito, California, was founded in 1998 and provides lease education and consulting services to lessors, funders, brokers, government and international agencies, and other members of the financial community.

He is active in leasing associations, having served on the Board of Directors of the United Association of Equipment Leasing (UAEL) for four years. For three years he was the Chairman of their Education Committee with responsibility for the Certification Program and Educational Programs. He was also a member of other committees including the Standards Committee.

Bob is a frequent speaker at leasing industry events, and has written articles for UAEL's Newsline and other industry publications. He is a co- author of the Certified Lease Professional's Handbook and a co-author of the World Bank’s Global Leasing Toolkit.

He served seven years on the Board of the Certified Lease and Finance Profession al Foundation including two years as President and one year as Chairman. He is also a member of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers.

While discussing employment forms with an attorney is advised, often it does not come up, as well as considered "too expensive." Here are a "Non-Disclosure Agreement," by state, "as well as an Independent Contractor Agreement, " and "Non-Compete Agreement," a guide in an easy-to-digest, user-friendly resource that uniquely focuses on the different strategies that junior, mid and senior-level employees can utilize during their salary negotiations, as opposed to the one-size-fits-all advice of most salary negotiation articles."

Signature Bank Named Best Commercial Bank of the Year
in the United States by International Banker Magazine

NEW YORK--- Signature Bank (Nasdaq:SBNY), a New York-based full-service commercial bank, was named Best Commercial Bank of the Year in the United States in the International Banker 2017 North and South American Awards.

The International Banker annual banking awards were established to identify leading banking organizations that represent benchmarks of achievement, corporate governance, technological development and client service that help drive economic growth in the countries in which they operate. The International Banker 2017 Banking Awards distinguished those institutions that have excelled in providing unparalleled service to their clients while also continuously maintaining a high level of regulatory compliance. Signature Bank was selected for this honor by a team of International Banker journalists who served as the panel of judges. International Banker, a publication catering to finance professionals, covers all areas of banking and finance, including risk management, structured finance, trading, company analysis, corporate social responsibility and technology.

President and CEO Joseph DePaolo

“This acknowledgement is indicative of the increasing leadership role Signature Bank is occupying in the commercial banking arena, coupled with our commitment to catering to our clients through our distinctive, single-point-of-contact approach. While staying under the radar screen, we have built a solid reputation amongst bankers and clients alike, based on our team-based approach to meeting the needs of privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers. This has led to our ability to achieve consistent, significant record-setting growth, and subsequently, to the International Banker judges recognizing our successes to date in their awards competition. We thank the publication for acknowledging Signature Bank in this global program,” explained Joseph J. DePaolo, co-founder, president and chief executive officer at Signature Bank.

Winners of the global International Banker Banking Awards were announced on March 6, 2017. More can be found by visiting https://internationalbanker.com/banking/international-banker-2017-north-south-american-awards-winners/.

About Signature Bank

Signature Bank, member FDIC, is a New York-based full-service commercial bank with 30 private client offices throughout the New York metropolitan area, including those in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Long Island, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Connecticut. The Bank’s growing network of private client banking teams serves the needs of privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers.

Since commencing operations in May 2001, the Bank has grown to $39.05 billion in assets, $29.04 billion in loans, $31.86 billion in deposits, $3.61 billion in equity capital and $3.35 billion in other assets under management as of December 31, 2016. Signature Bank's Tier 1 and risk-based capital ratios are significantly above the levels required to be considered well capitalized.

Signature Bank ranked on Forbes' Best Banks in America list for the seventh consecutive year in 2017 and was recently named Best Business Bank for the third consecutive year by the New York Law Journal in the publication’s seventh annual reader survey. The Bank also ranked second in the Best Private Bank and Best Attorney Escrow Services categories in the listing.

Vertiginous romance (“Song to Song”) and absurdist comedy (“Donald Cried”) make for a particularly adventurous night at the movies, while DVD releases include Disney animation (“Moana”), earnest melodrama (“Light Between Oceans”), and wild cinematic fireworks (“Lovers on the Bridge”).

In theaters:

Song to Song (Broad Green Pictures): Once a reclusive enigma, director Terence Malick (“The New World”) has enjoyed an invigorating late-career renaissance, serving up one challenging and absorbing cinematic effort after another. Set in the music scene of Austin, Texas, his latest is a characteristically vertiginous study of longing and betrayal, chronicling the romantic ups and downs of two couples. There’s BV (Ryan Gosling) and Faye (Rooney Mara), young songwriters whose love is intertwined with their professional disappointments. And then there’s Cook (Michael Fassbender), a ruthless rock ‘n’ roll impresario whose tenderness toward a waitress named Rhonda (Natalie Portman) is contrasted with his callous behavior toward BV and Faye. Though the plot may sound like a typical relationship drama, this ravishing film borders on the experimental, thanks to Malick’s kaleidoscopic, heartfelt vision.

Donald Cried (The Orchard): A grave situation gets an emphatic treatment in this appealingly absurdist indie comedy, written and directed by Kris Avedisian in a promising debut. Unfolding over the course of one day in wintry Rhode Island, the story follows Peter (Jesse Wakeman), who must return home to deal with the recent death of his grandmother. To do so, he seeks the help of childhood friend Donald (played by Avedisian himself), a half-ingratiating, half-obnoxious thirtysomething who still lives at home and whose clinging joy at seeing Peter results in a day-long tour. As this odd couple hang out, old wounds and revelations inevitably rise to the surface. Balancing bitter humor and aching emotion, Avedisian’s film has reminded some critics of a lighter version of “Manchester by the Sea.”

Netflix Tip: Always rollicking and down and dirty, the music of rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry (1926-2017) was made for the movies. So celebrate this pioneering icon at Netflix with the films that made the best use of Berry songs, ranging from “American Hot Wax” (1978) and “Diner” (1982) to “Back to the Future” (1985) and “Pulp Fiction” (1994).

On DVD:

Moana(Walt Disney Studios): Another culture receives the Disney treatment in this engaging, animated fairy-tale, which takes the studio’s patented crowd-pleasing story arcs to mythical Polynesia. The title refers to a spirited young woman (voiced by Auli’l Cravalho), the teenage heir of an island who’s chosen to undergo a journey to save her people from an ancient lava entity. As she heads out into the ocean, Moana is joined by Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a once-mighty demigod who becomes her ally as they come across typhoons, coconut pirates, and threatening volcanoes. Directed by reliable Disney veterans John Musker and Ron Clements (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin”), the film moves along briskly and joyously in its portrait of a girl’s budding identity and its seamless blend of adventure, humor, and song.

The Light Between Oceans (Walt Disney): With “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines,” Derek Cianfrance established himself as a director unashamed of earnest emotions, which makes him just the person to adapt this gorgeously shot melodrama from novelist M.L. Stedman. Set in Australia after the first Great War, the story stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as Tom and Isabel Sherbourne, a married couple who maintain a coastal lighthouse and whose lives take a sudden turn one day by the arrival of a mysterious baby girl. As they are unable to have children, Tom and Isabel promptly adopt the infant and raise her as their own daughter, naming her Lucy. With the passage of time, however, their happiness is complicated by an enigmatic woman (Rachel Weisz). The weighty sweep of the film is buoyed by Cianfrance’s old-fashioned romanticism and the actors’ committed performances.

The Lovers on the Bridge (Kino): A great and wild talent, French filmmaker Leos Carax (“Holy Motors”) reached for the stars with this remarkable 1991 drama, which mixes extravagant artifice with fiery emotions. Set in Paris’ famous bridge of Pont Neuf, the story charts the stormy romance between two lost souls brought together by personal tragedies and bottomless yearning. Alex (Denis Lavant) is a street performer driven to despair by a drug addiction, and Michele (Juliette Binoche) is an artist whose life has been derailed by a failed relationship and creeping blindness. A potential cure for her illness emerges, but can the two of them survive long enough in their harsh conditions? Downright flamboyant in his faith in movie magic, Carax serves up string after string of unforgettable cinematic fireworks. With subtitles.

Male
Three Years Old
Medium Weight
Neutered
Current on Vacations
Special Needs

Max is a 3 year old Lab mix. Sweet, smart, well mannered. Lives with multiple other dogs, is house trained, not destructive, no separation anxiety, easy. He is perfect other than he has seizures. His meds cost about $75/month.

Our main goals: Be a crusader of ideas; A provocateur of thought; Present all sides of an issues following internet netiquette.

We will continue as an ombudsman to help arbitrate, negotiate, or resolve complaints; answer readers’ specific questions; help provide solutions, sources, contacts, tools, resources, and make available the truth of what is really happening in the leasing industry.

We will pursue the facts to find the truth behind the “spin” in a press release.

We strive to be first with the news and to follow-up until full conclusion.

We do not represent a “membership” or group whose interest is primarily promoting their membership and activities.

We are independent in spirit and in practice. We have written and will continue to write about advertisers, friends, leasing associations, and seek to present all sides’ views equally. We have placed advertisers in our complaint bulletin board, informing them that they may no longer advertise here.

Opinions and viewpoints in an article are allowed when the article is signed by the writer, as is the policy of Associated Press.

If a writer has a potential conflict of interest, a disclaimer will be included in any article.

All press releases, written by others will be so indicated with ##### surrounding.

We only will have an edition when there is sufficient equipment leasing news.

We will continue to help those seeking employment or who want to seek a better position. Originally our help wanted ads were free, but too many were taking advantage in seeking “commissioned salesmen,” so now this has become a paid obligation. Our other classified ads, such as “job wanted,” “outsourcing,” and “attorney” ads will remain free.

The Leasing News Advisory Board is chosen by the publisher. They are not financially compensated. They participate in the overall direction of our electronic newspaper. As with a printed newspaper, it is the editor's sole discretion as to what is printed and the advisory board is not consulted for editorial content. It is not an editorial board.

While we are in a different century, different time, and do not have the
circulation of “The World,” Leasing News will strive to follow “The World's” editorial policy as expressed by its publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

“An institution which should always fight for progress and reform; never tolerate injustice or corruption; always fight demagogues of all parties; never belong to any party; always oppose privileged classes and public plunder; never lack sympathy with the poor; always remain devoted to the public welfare; never be satisfied with merely printing the news; always be drastically independent; never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty.”

October 30, 1911: Frank J. Cobb, editor, “The World”.

His statement is a quote from the publisher Joseph Pulitzer's retirement speech on April 10, 1907.

The policy and mission of Leasing News are available in each
edition printed.

1774 – Great Britain ordered the port of Boston closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
1849 - Colonel John W Geary arrives as the first postmaster of San Francisco. He will get a street named after him.
1850 – The U.S. population hit 23,191,876.
1854 - In Tokyo, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, representing the U.S. government, signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and permitting the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Japan.
1870 - Thomas Peterson-Mundy, of Perth Amboy, NJ, became the first black to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment, passed by Congress in February, 1870. It prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.
871 - Millions of birds fly over San Francisco and darken the sky.
1878 - John "Jack" Arthur Johnson (d. 1946) birthday, Galveston, TX. In 1908, Johnson became the first black to win the heavyweight boxing championship when he defeated Tommy Burns at Sydney, Australia. Unable to accept a black man's triumph, the boxing world tried to find a white challenger. Jim Jeffries, former heavyweight title holder, was badgered out of retirement. On July 4, 1910, at Reno, Nevada, the "battle of the century" proved to be a farce when Johnson handily defeated Jeffries. Race riots swept the US and plans to exhibit the film of the fight were canceled. Johnson died in an automobile accident June 10, 1946 at Raleigh, NC. He was inducted in the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. The film "The Great White Hope” is based on his life.
1880 - The first electric street lights installed by a municipality were turned on in Wabash, Indiana.
1883 - The Olympic Town-Ball Club of Philadelphia celebrated its 50th anniversary.
1889 – The Eiffel Tower opened to the public in Paris.
1890 - Saint Louis, MO, received 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. It was the worst snowstorm of record for the St Louis.
1895 - Birthday of Lizzie Miles (d. 1963), born Elizabeth Mary Landreaux in New Orleans. Popular black singer in New Orleans and Los Angeles in the 1920's and 30's, developed a style known as "gumbo French" jazz.
1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later to become the NCAA, was established to set rules for college sports in the US.
1909 – Construction began on RMS Titanic.
1917 - Transfer Day commemorates the transfer resulting from purchase of the Virgin Islands by the US from Denmark, March 31, 1917, for $25 million.http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar31.html 1918 - Daylight Savings Time went into effect throughout the U.S. for the first time. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson in 1895. Many publications credit DST's proposal to the prominent English builder and outdoorsman William Willett who independently conceived DST in 1905 during a pre-breakfast ride, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through a large part of a summer's day. His solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The first Daylight Saving Bill was presented to the House of Commons on February 12, 1908 but did not become law. William Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30, 1916, Germany and Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year and the United States adopted it in 1918.
1922 - KFI-AM in Los Angeles CA begins radio transmissions.
1928 - Scotch Tape is first sold.
1929 - Birthday of Liz Claiborne (d. 2007) Brussels, Belgium. Founder, president, CEO and chair as well as fashion designer of Liz Claiborne, Inc., a billion-dollar corp. Her mother taught her to sew and Liz says instilled ambition in her.
1930 - The Motion Picture Production Code was instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.
1931 – TWA Flight 599 crashed near Bazaar, KS, killing eight, including Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne.
1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps was established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.
1934 - Birthday of Shirley Jones, Charleroi, PA. After a very successful stage career in such musicals as “Oklahoma!” which she brought to the screen in 1955, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “Elmer Gantry” (1960). Best known to a generation for her TV work in “The Partridge Family.”
1935 – Herb Alpert was born in LA. Most associated with the group Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Alpert is also a recording industry executive, the "A" of A&M Records, a recording label he and business partner Jerry Moss founded. Alpert is the only recording artist to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart as both a vocalist ("This Guy’s in Love with You", 1968), and an instrumentalist ("Rise", 1979).
1943 - Rogers and Hammerstein's landmark musical “Oklahoma!” their first collaboration, opened at the St. James Theatre. It had its world premiere under the title “Away we Go" at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, CT, on March 11, 1943. Oklahoma is considered significant because it was the first musical in which songs, music, characterization and story are integrated into an emotional whole. It changed musicals forever. It was also the first musical to run more than 2,000 performances and to have a cast album recorded. Agnes de Mille was the choreographer. It received a special Pulitzer Prize for drama on May 2, 1944. In 1957, "Oklahoma" became that state's official song.
1945 - Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie" premieres in New York NY.
1948 - J. D. Salinger's short story "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" appears in "The New Yorker." http://jdsalinger.com/ 1949 - RCA Victor introduces the 45 rpm single record, which had been in development since 1940. The 7 inch disc was designed to compete with the 33 1/3 LP introduced by Columbia a year earlier. Both formats offered better fidelity and longer playing time than the 78 rpm platter that was currently in use. Advertisements for new record players boasted that with 45 RPM records, the listener could hear up to ten records with speedy, silent, hardly noticeable changes. Remember that the next time you load your iPod.
1951 – Remington Rand delivered the first UNIVAC I computer to the US Census Bureau.
1954 - Top Hits
“Make Love to Me!” - Jo Stafford
“Wanted” - Perry Como
“Answer Me, My Love” - Nat ‘King’ Cole
“Slowly” - Webb Pierce
1954 - The temperature at Rio Grande City, TX, hit 108 degrees, which for thirty years was a U.S. record for the month of March.
1955 - Chase National (3rd largest bank) and Bank of the Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) merge to form Chase Manhattan.
1956 – Brenda Lee made her US television debut, singing an unrehearsed version of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" on ABC-TV's “Ozark Jamboree.”
1958 - Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is released. It would enter the Billboard chart six weeks later and rise to number 8.
1962 – The Shirelles released “Soldier Boy,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100.
1962 - Top Hits
“Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You” - Connie Francis
“Johnny Angel” - Shelley Fabares
“Dream Baby” - Roy Orbison
“She’s Got You” - Patsy Cline
1962 - A tornado struck the town of Milton, FL, killing 17 persons and injuring 100 others. It was the worst tornado disaster in Florida history.
1962 - The Pacific Coast League proposal to use a DH was voted down 8-1 by the Professional Baseball Rules Committee. Prompted by the Cubs’ college of coaches, the committee also ruled each team must name a manager 30 minutes prior to the game. The DH will not come into Major League use until 1973, when it is adopted by the American League. The National League still prohibits the DH.
1965 - US ordered the first combat troops to Vietnam
1968 - President Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not run for another term of office. With the Vietnam War going badly, in late March, polls suggested that Minnesota Sen. Eugene McCarthy would likely win the Wisconsin Democratic Primary. Following the Tet Offensive, which despite being a tactical victory, resulted in the deaths of thousands of American and South Vietnamese soldiers. The offensive included an invasion of the US Embassy in Saigon which led many Americans to believe that the North Vietnamese were stronger than had been reported, and that the war was not nearing an end, despite Johnson’s assurances otherwise. He stepped down, saying "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president." http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0331.html#article 1970 - Top Hits
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” - Simon & Garfunkel
“Let It Be” - The Beatles
“Instant Karma” (“We All Shine On”) - John Ono Lennon
“The Fightin’ Side of Me” - Merle Haggard
1971 - THACKER, BRIAN MILES, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 92d Artillery. Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 31 March 1971. Entered service at: Salt Lake City, Utah. Born: 25 April 1945, Columbus, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Thacker, Field Artillery, Battery A, distinguished himself while serving as the team leader of an Integrated Observation System collocated with elements of 2 Army of the Republic of Vietnam units at Fire Base 6. A numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force launched a well-planned, dawn attack on the small, isolated, hilltop fire base. Employing rockets, grenades, flame-throwers, and automatic weapons, the enemy forces penetrated the perimeter defenses and engaged the defenders in hand-to-hand combat. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, 1st Lt. Thacker rallied and encouraged the U.S. and Republic of Vietnam soldiers in heroic efforts to repulse the enemy. He occupied a dangerously exposed observation position for a period of 4 hours while directing friendly air strikes and artillery fire against the assaulting enemy forces. His personal bravery and inspired leadership enabled the outnumbered friendly forces to inflict a maximum of casualties on the attacking enemy forces and prevented the base from being overrun. By late afternoon, the situation had become untenable. 1st Lt. Thacker organized and directed the withdrawal of the remaining friendly forces. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he remained inside the perimeter alone to provide covering fire with his M-16 rifle until all other friendly forces had escaped from the besieged fire base. Then, in an act of supreme courage, he called for friendly artillery fire on his own position to allow his comrades more time to withdraw safely from the area and, at the same time, inflict even greater casualties on the enemy forces. Although wounded and unable to escape from the area himself, he successfully eluded the enemy forces for 8 days until friendly forces regained control of the fire base. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by 1st Lt. Thacker were an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the military service.
1972 - Swimmer Mark Spitz was awarded the Amateur Athletic Union’s Sullivan Award as 1971's outstanding amateur athlete. Spitz went on to Olympic legendry a few months later, winning seven gold medals.
1973 - Ken Norton defeated Muhammad Ali in a 12-round split decision. Ali had his jaw broken during the fight.
1973 - A devastating tornado took a nearly continuous 75 mile path through north central Georgia causing more than 113 million dollars damage, the highest total of record for a natural disaster in the state.
1977 – Less than six months before his death, during intermission at Elvis Presley's latest show in Baton Rouge, LA, the King became too ill to return to the stage. The concert was canceled and Elvis was admitted to Baptist Hospital in Memphis the next day, suffering from "fatigue" and "intestinal flu."
1978 - Top Hits
“Night Fever” - Bee Gees
“Stayin’ Alive” - Bee Gees
“Lay Down Sally” - Eric Clapton
“Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” - Waylon & Willie
1981 - The 1980 Academy Awards were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, "Ordinary People" (Ronald L. Schwary, producer) won four Academy Awards at the 53rd Oscar ceremonies. Johnny Carson hosted the show from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Oscars were presented to a lot of ordinary people, like "Tess" and "Melvin and Howard." However, it was the Best Picture, "Ordinary People," that also won for Best Director (Robert Redford), Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton) and Best Writing (screenplay based on material from another medium: Alvin Sargent). Best Actor that year was Robert De Niro for "Raging Bull" and the Best Actress was Sissy Spacek for "Coal Miner’s Daughter." The Best Supporting Actress prize went to Mary Steenburgen for "Melvin and Howard" and Best Music/Song Oscars were awarded to Michael Gore (music) and Dean Pitchford (lyrics) for "Fame" from the film of the same name. A special award was given to Henry Fonda in recognition of his brilliant accomplishments and enduring contribution to the art of motion pictures.
1985 - A reunion of stars lit up Beverly Hills, California, as ABC-TV celebrated the 200th episode of "The Love Boat." The network also honored the 1,000th guest star: Lana Turner. She was joined by Mary Martin, who was the 700th guest star to set sail on the show. Ginger Rogers was the 300th, Robert Guillaume #500 and we could go on but we won’t. "The Love Boat" had as a crew: Captain Merrill Stubing (Gavin MacLeod), Dr. Adam Bricker (Bernie Kopell), Yeoman-Purser Burl ‘Gopher’ Smith (Fred Grandy, who went on to become a U.S. Congressman), Bartender Isaac Washington (Ted Lange) and Photographer Ashley Covington Evans (Ted McGinley). Singer Jack Jones provided the vocal to the opening theme song and Ernie Anderson was the distinctive voice for the millions of network promos before each show.
1986 - Top Hits
“Rock Me Amadeus” - Falco
“R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” - John Cougar Mellencamp
“Kiss” - Prince & The Revolution
“Don’t Underestimate My Love for You” - Lee Greenwood
1987 - HBO (Home Box Office) earned its first Oscar as "Down and Out in America" tied for Best Documentary feature. The cable-TV film played in a Los Angeles movie theatre for one week to qualify for the Academy Award.
1989 - Afternoon thunderstorms produced severe weather from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 76 mph at Cape Henry, VA. While squalls blanketed northwest Pennsylvania with up to 9 inches of snow, thunderstorms in eastern Pennsylvania produced golf ball size hail at Avondale.
1992 - The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, CA.
1995 - Concerned about embezzlement from her fan club and boutique accounts, Tejana singer Selena confronted Yolanda Saldivar, her recently-fired manager and first fan club founder, while they stayed in a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. During the heated argument that ensued, Selena was shot fatally in the back by Saldivar. The bullet struck her in her right shoulder. With sapping strength, Selena ran in a panic to the motel lobby to get help. She collapsed in a pool of blood on the floor as the clerk called 911. An ambulance took her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later.
1995 - The longest strike in sports history ended - in a courtroom. A U.S. District court order forbids owners from implementing new financial working conditions in the wake of the impasse in negotiations. The court decides that conditions will revert to the old rules from the previous season. Because of the timing of the court order, 18 games will have to be trimmed from the Major League schedule.
1996 - For the first time in Major League history, the regular season opened in March with the Seattle Mariners beating the Chicago White Sox in 12 innings, 3 - 2, at the Kingdome. Five Mariners pitchers strike out 21 batters, with Randy Johnson fanning 14 Sox in seven innings.
1996 - 15th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Georgia 83-65.
1997 - 59th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Arizona beats Kentucky 84-79 (OT)
1998 – In their first games ever, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays lost to the Detroit Tigers, 11-6 while the Arizona Diamondbacks lost to the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.
1998 – Netscape released Mozilla source code under an open source license.
2000 - The $345 million Pacific Bell Park at Third and King Streets, San Francisco, opened with an exhibition game between the Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Giants won 8-3. It is now known as AT&T Park.
2012 - The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists merge to create the SAG-AFTRA union.
2013 - Once the world's fastest computer, the IBM Roadrunner, was decommissioned; advances in chip design have surpassed its capabilities.

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